14.08.2013
Bangalore, India.
You know, the Divine protects us in many ways. Just like a roof protects us from the coconut falling on our head, the Divine protects us in many ways. They say that the planet Jupiter (called as Brihaspati or the Guru Brihaspati in Hindi) protects the earth. There are lots of meteors which travel towards the earth to collide, but the planet Jupiter protects us from these meteors (owing to its immense gravitational pull). Otherwise, the earth would have been finished long ago. Like this, the Divine also protects us in many forms. When you were a child, it protects you as mother and a father. When you grow up, the Divine protects you in the form of Guru. Just like the eye lid protects our pupil, the Divine protects its pupil. It comes in all forms and ways and protects us. There is no reason to be afraid.
Gurudev, yesterday you spoke about Sankalpa Shakti (the power of intention to manifest one’s wishes or desires). You also said that some Sankalpas (intentions) manifest and some do not. Why is that so?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Whenever you take a Sankalpa, you should always pray that – ‘I want this or anything better than this’. Nature is far more intelligent and would like to give you the best. When your vision is narrow and limited (to one’s own personal motives only), then you think this is the best for me. But the Universe knows better. If you deserve something better than that, it will surely give you that.
Dear Gurudev, in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna shows his Vishwaroopa (Supreme transcendental form of the Lord) to Arjuna, and thus he gets to experience the Divine. Yet, even after seeing the Lord’s supreme form, Arjuna is not get convinced and Lord Krishna has to prod much more before finally giving up and telling Arjuna to drop everything. How come even after having the experience, Arjuna could not understand?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, I have no idea. Perhaps Arjuna wanted to play the role of the dumbest student so that even the dumbest person can understand this sacred and divine knowledge. Otherwise, the Bhagavad Gita would not have taken so long. It would have finished in just a couple of verses. It is because Lord Krishna knows that people need this knowledge that he had to speak in so many ways and so many languages for people to understand.
Gurudev, on the path of Yoga as we continue our practices, ‘HE’ (referring to the Lord) may simply manifest. Yet it also causes Yoga Maya (referring to being deluded when one acquires extraordinary abilities). How can people do their Sadhana (spiritual practice) and yet not be affected by Yoga Maya?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This very knowledge (of Yoga Maya) is good enough.
Gurudev, I am always in the state of “I don’t know” in life. How should we define our purpose in life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
By moving to the more beautiful stage of wonderment of ‘I don’t know’! You know, there are two types of ‘I don’t know’. One is when you are so frustrated that we say, ‘Don’t ask me, I don’t know. Get out!’ But there is another ‘I don’t know’. This comes from a state of beautiful wonderment - ‘I don’t know’! Life is a journey of moving from an angry ‘I don’t know’ to a beautiful ‘I don’t know’! out of wonder.
In between these two states, there is also a confused “I don’t know”. If you are in the confused “I don’t know” state, just move away from the angry “I don’t know” and move towards the beautiful wondrous “I don’t know!”
Gurudev, many movements on corruption start but they soon fizzle out. How do we keep the movement going on?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This is something very serious. We are in the same position where we were before independence. We were in utter helplessness then as we are now. The country was being looted. You know, 900 ships of gold were transferred from India. People were taxed unwillingly and we were all helpless. Everyone united through Satsang. Huge Satsangs were conducted in those days to unite and bring the people together. The mikes in those days were not of a very high quality. But despite all this, people would put in their heart and soul in the Satsang, because they were so strongly committed to the common goal of India’s independence. Many people sacrificed their lives for the nation. Today the movement is not complete. We are in the same helpless situation. We have to again unite and stand up against corruption and change the situation, change the system, change the attitudes. Are you all for willing for change? We all have to work for it.
Gurudev, in your discourse on the Kena Upanishad, you said - “Withdraw all your senses”. Are you saying that we should be in a state of abstinence all our life? Or is it just to control our emotions through a particular day, that you are saying the same?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Emotions have their own place in life. But they should not control you. They should be under your control. But if you get into the grip of the emotions, then there is only misery in life.
Gurudev, I would like to appeal to the audience to donate organs after their death.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes. This is very good. There are some wrong notions that if we donate organs after our death, we will not have those organs in our next birth. This is not true. One can freely donate your organs after death.
